Now, maybe that seems impressive, finishing two big tasks in two small timeframes, but this isn’t about speed — and it’s certainly not about me trying to impress anyone. I’m not trying to break any records. What I’m trying to do — what I’ve finally done, after twelve years of creative stagnation — is to break through a bottleneck that frustrates a lot of writers.

In other words, maybe some of the stuff that helped get me unstuck can help you — regardless of how long you take to publish your book.

And so I figured I’d share fourteen tips that I’ve learned through trial and error and experimentation. Maybe you can take something from what I’ve learned and use it to create your own awesome thing.

Now, I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination… but I’m certainly getting better, and maybe you can take something useful from my experience.

Let’s find out.

Tip #1: Do the work

I’ve attributed this idea to Steven Pressfield over and over in the past, but let us not forget that the great sage Billy Crystal also said in the theatrical masterpiece Throw Momma From the Train, “A writer writes, always.”

It’s true. You’d never run into a welder who’s never actually welded anything, but you run into writers all the time who don’t write. So let’s get something out of the way that I would think should be obvious: you don’t get to call yourself a writer if you aren’t putting your ass into a chair on a regular basis and writing.

Stop treating it like it’s a delicate art. Sit. Write. Do the fucking work. End of story.

Tip #2: Write fast

I think it’s a mistake to agonize over every word in a rough draft. Getting words perfect is what second, third, and fourth drafts are for.

Stephen King says in On Writing (which every writer should read), “Writing fiction… can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self doubt.” I totally agree. You have to force yourself to get the story OUT in the first draft and to worry about making it better later on. If you write slowly, you’ll get mired in one place and will succumb to doubt and second-guessing.

I believe that writing a first draft is mostly a subconscious thing, and that your critical mind has no business butting in while your story is being formed.

Tip #3: Write thin, then fill in the details later

Feel free to ignore this tip (or any of them) because everyone is different, but I suggest writing the bare bones of your story first and then filling those bare bones in during subsequent drafts.

I used to write a TON during the first draft and then rely on rewrites to cut out the fluff, but I’ve found that this is a mistake. If I need 120k words in the end, I used to plan to write 150k words and cut out 30k. If I did that, it was hard to find the story in all that padding — like searching for a needle in a haystack. But if instead I write 100k words and then add a net 20k during rewrites (which might mean eliminating 20k of fluff and adding 40k of new clarifying/detail scenes), I find I can keep the story in focus.

Cluttered first drafts lose me while I’m writing and frustrate me when I’m editing. Think of it this way: In the first draft, your job is to tell yourself the story, and in the second draft, your job is to tell others the story. How much detail do YOU really need in order to understand the story enough to write a second draft?

Tip #4: Get over yourself

If you can’t produce anything, stop worrying so much about being Ernest Fucking Hemingway and just tell the story. When you try to be impressive and poignant and meaningful in a first draft, you usually end up looking like a pompous assbag and risk losing the story due to all of the hot air. See tip #2 above.

All writers read, and we can’t help but be influenced by what we read, so we tend to ape the styles we enjoy. You like Ray Bradbury? You’ll try to write like Ray. You like Michael Chabon? You’ll try to write like Michael. This stuff isn’t even conscious, but you’ll see it when you start wondering if you “should do” something stylistic or thematic. But the thing is, Michael doesn’t sound like Ray doesn’t sound like Chuck Palahniuk, so what does that tell you?

Tip #6: Practice

Voice is just one of the things in writing that takes time to learn and to develop. A few of the others are pacing, the feel of dialogue, correct use of point-of-view, and how much to reveal at what times. The bad news is that there is no shortcut to learning those things, and that you have no choice but to keep writing (see tip #1) to clear the pipes until you begin to improve.

Check out this 2-minute video of Ira Glass talking about the creative process. It pretty much says it all:

Tip #7: Accept that you will probably despair and hate your work at some point in the process

Hugh Howey, blockbuster bestselling author of the Wool series, told us on the Self Publishing Podcast that he alternates liking and hating his stories as he takes them through different drafts. I was so glad to hear him say that, because I do the same. I’m very happy with the final versions of my books, but there were distinct times during editing all of them that I thought what I’d written was hopeless and terrible.

Push thorough this feeling. It’s destructive. First and even second drafts are allowed to be kind of ugly as long as the core of the story is there. And yes, what you’ve written may suck… but it’s equally likely that if you keep working and refining in spite of your doubts, you may find that you start liking it again.

(Note: This cycle may repeat. Don’t think you won’t hate it again eventually just because you liked it once.)

Tip #8: Tell the damn story

It’s amazing how tempting it can be to vanish into a character’s head or into an interesting scene and forget that the people in your story are supposed to actually be doing something. This was probably my biggest issue during my decade of lost production, wherein I constantly mistook situation for plot.

So for instance, Fat Vampire could have been about a guy who was turned into a vampire and finds himself forever physically unfit. That’s amusing, but it doesn’t go anywhere. The story had to move from A to Z. Reginald had to have a task or a quest, and he had to complete it or overcome it.

Think of it this way: There’s a famous story about how the movie Speed was pitched as “Die Hard on a bus” — but there are TWO elements to that statement. You can’t just have a Die Hard type of setup. That’s just a situation, or a setting. In order for the film to work, you need to have the plot, too — which is the action that occurs on the bus.

(P.S: This is true even if you aren’t writing novels with a lot of action. Jane Austen novels aren’t exactly a thrill a minute, but clearly something still HAPPENS in those books.)

Tip #9: Have faith that your story will find itself

I used to write without an outline (“pantsing,” so-called because you operate by the seat of your pants), and my podcast partners Sean and Dave do the opposite (“plotting” = working from an outline). I’ve learned that I work best somewhere in the middle. I create a few bullet points and have a decent idea where the story will end up, but I don’t write out every detail ahead of time. But regardless of whether you pants or plot, you will find that there will always be points at which the story will stray from your plans and begin to make itself. Your job is to let it.

I can think of three huge plot points in Fat Vampire 2 that I honestly didn’t know were coming… and the crazy thing is that those plot points were set up and foreshadowed in the first book, before I even knew there would be a sequel. This kind of thing will happen more and more as you write faster and learn to trust yourself.

Tip #10: Don’t overexplain

Most beginning writers explain things to death because they fear being misunderstood. I get it. I’ve been there. But consider this: another great Stephen King quote from On Writing goes like this: “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” What that means is that a little bit can go a long way.

When a character enters a room, you don’t need to go through a laundry list of exactly what the room looks like and how many coins are on the dresser. Describing a room simply as “cluttered” will often do the trick. And as a bonus, your fiction will feel more real because you’ve given the reader freedom to provide her own picture of a cluttered room, rather than imposing your vision onto her.

And the “story writing itself” stuff from #9 above? That happens when you give it room to happen. Don’t feel the need to explain every detail of how things work or why they happen in your story. Tell what’s relevant, and keep the rest to yourself.

I’m really glad I learned this one, because the ending of Fat Vampire 2 depends entirely on my decision NOT to include certain explanations in Fat Vampire. I didn’t know that at the time, though… and if I had overexplained my world in the first book, I’d have been screwed when I needed a solution at the end of the sequel.

Tip #11: Omit needless words

This one comes from Strunk and White and is the natural follow-up to tip #10. It says that if you can eliminate words and not lose any real meaning, do it. Most writers resist this, and their thinking goes like this: “Every brush stroke in my art is vital, because it is my art.”

Well, good for you, but your readers may disagree. Loose, flowery writing tends to feel bloated and sluggish to readers, and no matter how literary you feel you are, it’s true more often than not that tight prose will provide a better experience for readers. Your precious extraneous words don’t mean shit to them.

Omit needless words in sentences. Omit paragraphs you can do without.

It’s true that a lot of words that are technically unnecessary end up being part of your “voice”…. but a lot of them are just slowing your readers down, so err on the side of editing too much rather than not enough.

Tip #12: When you write, vanish from the world entirely

You can read all about this one in this post, in “Way #10.” You need to take your writing seriously if you expect to get anywhere. When you write, unplug the phone, close the door, and wear headphones if you’re able. Ignore the world. You’ll be back to it soon enough.

Tip #13: Use the right tools

If I had to write again using Microsoft Word, I’d knife myself in the eye. Do yourself a favor and download the Mac or PC version of Scrivener, the best writing software ever. (Go ahead and try it — you have nothing to lose because it gives you a free trial. And yeah, you bet your ass that’s an affiliate link. I want to marry Scrivener and have its children.)

Not only is Scrivener spectacular to use, but I consider it flat-out necessary for modern publishing to any format other than an inkjet printer. If you use Word or most other software to try and produce .mobi (Kindle) or .epub (everyone else) files, you’re begging for a strong compulsion to fork yourself in the eye. I painstakingly converted The Bialy Pimps from Word to Scrivener so that I could publish it without the internet blowing up. Don’t make the same mistake as I did.

Tip #14: Get the right support

Writing is lonely. You need reasons to believe in what you’re doing, and people to hang onto when your faith wavers, which it will. So find yourself a writers’ group — virtual or in-person — and meet regularly.

You also absolutely must subscribe to the Self Publishing Podcast (look for it on iTunes, Stitcher, and in other directories) so that you can regularly hear from guys who are making a living at this (Sean and Dave) and a guy who’s getting there (me). I find that I get inspired when I listen, and I’m one-third of the show. I guess I impress myself with my insights.

And if you want some real mind-supercharging and accountability, you might also consider joining my Everyday Legendary community. There’s a bunch of writers in there, and they form accountability groups in the forums. You’ll also be surrounding yourself with forward-thinking, possibility-oriented, optimistic people instead of downer assholes. So think about that, too.

Now, obviously some of the above tips may not fit with you, your personality, or the way you write. That’s cool. But seeing as it’s all stuff I’ve had to learn over time and have found useful, I figured it’d be jerky of me not to share it with you. Who knows; might help you come unstuck if you’re stuck, or get supercharged if you’re already rolling.

Yes, I purchased scrivener from the link on the podcast about 3 weeks ago and I literally screamed “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!!” It has increased my writing speed and organization by like a billion percent (give or take a few hundred). To bad the pc version does not have the “sync” option.

This is what I needed to day my friend! I have 3 guest posts waiting to be written and now my tushy hurts from the kick in the pants you just gave me. I owe you one.

You guys inspired me talking about the “Fat Vampire” thing in the podcast and I started kicking around ideas in my head. You then ran with an published the “Fat Vampire” books. It’s an excellent example of putting an idea to practice. I sincerely appreciate the “Self Publishing Podcast” as you guys put a real world perspective on what many of us see as insurmountable.

I’m committing to participating in Nanwrimo this year, and I plan on using Scrivener to help me push through. Success or failure, I will be writing.

“When a character enters a room, you don’t need to go through a laundry list of exactly what the room looks like and how many coins are on the dresser. Describing a room simply as “cluttered” will often do the trick. And as a bonus, your fiction will feel more real because you’ve given the reader freedom to provide her own picture of a cluttered room, rather than imposing your vision onto her.”

I so wish Umberto Eco would have taken heed of that when he wrote The Name of the Rose. I had to read it in high school and it’s still one of suckiest things on my list of sucky things I’ve had to do…

Johnny, even a typeZ personality like myself can work with these ideas. Especially adore the write thin advice from tip #3. The other tips underscore the genius of this tip.
Thanks for the conversations. Slainte.

Thanks, great article. It made me feel good about the stuff I do already and pointed out where I can change. Also, this is about the fifth recommendation I’ve had for Scrivener! I was going to use it to convert my stuff for ebooks, but I will have a go at writing in it as well.
Cheers
Mike

Holy shit, I think you’re my long lost twin? I’m reading your How to be Legendary manifesto right now. I’m not stuck – I found my way out a few years ago – and all that stuff you say is exactly how I did it. But it’s nice to revisit that mindset once in a while. You forget that life sucked bad before you took control. Soon that control starts taking a walk and suddenly you find yourself slaving over the job you thought was your ticket out.

Great list. I busted through a major block cuz of this. Wanna add one, though and it might sound really pussy, but “Love Your Reader” should be added. Not, “be nice to the reader,” but love ‘em like they’re your best friend. It’s a lot easier to get through a story if you aren’t writing it for yourself…at least, that’s how it seems to me. You also make better choices. I used to do some really dumb shit before I figured this out.

Stephen King talks about the idea of an “ideal reader,” and that’s kind of what I use… it jibes pretty well with what you’re saying here. Try to please that person… who is an archetype representing many others. Right?

Great post with dead on advice. Even with a lot of writing credits myself, I found your advice to be a well needed boost. Your tip on the first draft being to tell yourself the story and the second draft to tell others the story is priceless.

I’m currently listening to the No BS webinar you and Jon are holding (I’m multitasking). The webinar is amazing–some of these things I’ve been putting together, but to have it all laid out before me is what I was missing.

Hey Johnny – As usual, another great post with practical, no bullshit advice. Even though I’m a non-fiction writer, and have to research my subject, your points are spot-on in terms of what slows me down. This post was a great kick in the ass to get on with the process and that’s valuable to…any artist! (or wannabe like me!) Thanks man!
Also, a shout-out to Sandra/Always Well Within (http://alwayswellwithin.com/) who posted a comment above; great to see you here! (I’ve known Sandra for over ten years!)

Take care and keep up the good work,

Jerome
Author – Minding the Bedside: Nursing from the Heart of the Awakened Mind

Johnny, I luv LUV LOVE this post! (and Ira Glass’s use of typography is genius). Thank you for hitting the nail on the head. Love the part about writing less and filling in more later. And in the words of Chuck Close: “Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

I’ve had an idea in my head that’s been dying to get out for at least 10 years, but I’ve been too chickenshit to put it down on paper (or screen, or whatever). I still am. It’s such an awesome idea, but somehow, it’s grown into the monster under the bed. It’s gotten so big and scary, I don’t know how to approach it. I’m afraid I might be eaten if I try to write it. How DO you get past this? Every time I attempt to take a peek, the whole thing tries to get out and overwhelm me, so I usually just let the dust ruffle drop and try to ignore it. But it does an awful lot of thumping and bumping under there, and sometimes keeps me awake at night. Should I just bite the bullet and start writing no matter what? I’m probably just answering my own question, aren’t I?

By the way carrie, you need to get that idea out! It doesnt matter if the monster eats you up and spits you back out, write everything down that comes to you and you can fix the story how you like later.

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[...] 14 Tips For Writing A Book In 29 Days….And Then Doing It Again The Next Month This post is by Johnnie B Truant and is a 14 Point summary of the writing process he’s used to write and indie publish two 30K novellas in the last two months. You may not agree with some – or even most – of his points. But looking at other people’s writing processes is always interesting. [...]

[...] of quality content, which I’m sure will help me grow as a writer. I’m leaning on Johnny B. Truant’s 14 Tips for writing a book in 29 days. Now I’m not writing a book, but I’d say that those tips (which are GREAT) apply to [...]

[...] stark contrast to the old guard, some new self-publishers have become proponents of very, very fast publishing cycles. The new philosophy is the inverse of the old. Instead of publication being validation of your [...]

[...] 14 tips for writing a book in 29 days… and then doing it again the next monthJohnny shares these tips with us to help us get writing. They range from ideas on mindset to practical ideas on how to actually do it. I must say that anyone who swears by using Scriovener has extablished their credentials as a writer for me. Besides this, the post is a great read. [...]